Are we getting stupider? Why or why not? Evidence?

[techieny]

Hell yeah.

People in America actually think the world is only 5000~6000 years old.

/thread.

You're right. I believe its 5001~6001 years old!

 

[Foxfyre]

I think you have some excellent points here... but to me, these look like the effects of rapidly increasing stupidity, not the causes of it.

Any more ideas?

-- Paravani

I have to go with HG's POV more than with the concept of lower IQs. It is true that American is inreasingly being dumbed down, and I more and more believe that is by design for political expediency and selected opportunism, but that is a topic for another thread.

I think our problem is a value problem, not an intelligence problem. There was a time when the goal was not to appreciate (and subsidize) the lowered self esteem of those who make bad choices and wind up at the lowest end of the socioeconomic spectrum, but it lowered one's self esteem to not be able to support himself/herself and a family.

There was a time when we applauded those who succeeded and prospered rather than demonize them while we subsidize poor choices and failure.

There was a time when people started out poor but knew it was up to them to become unpoor. I was one of those actually. There was a time when we knew we were ignorant and made sure we became educated. There was a time when we knew we were handicapped by a lack of skills and references, and we did whatever we had to do, under whatever conditions we had to do it, to obtain marketable skills and good references so we could sell them.

Now the less we try, the more we are subsidized. It pays to be uneducated, unskilled, incapable, unindustrous.

(And to the smoke throwing machines out there, no I am not saying that all the poor are ignorant, incapable, or lazy. I am only saying that we reward such choices and behavior now when there was a time in America when we did not.)

I say we return to values and policy that does not force people to go hungry--we have never had such a policy--but in which the poor are encouraged to become unpoor through their own efforts as it once was and in which they are taught that it is possible to do so and given instruction on how to do it. Let's return to a policy in which real education, not indoctrination, is the norm. Let's worry a whole lot less about multiculturalism and political correctness and promote a whole lot more those institutions and values that once made America the remarkable nation it once was.

And then I think we will also again become among the world's best educated and smarted people as well as among the most prosperous, industrious, innovative, creative, productive, and generous. And nobody will be legitimately inspired to start a thread about dumb Americans, a concept we all can empathise with now.

Just a suggestion to put your comments at the bottom of the quote instead of the top Paravani. Most of us are used to looking for the response that way. No biggie, just keeps us from having to scroll back.

But in answer to your question, you have a point. The more stupid we get, the more we are likely to accept indoctrination in lieu of education, the more we are likely to accept rote for critical thinking, the more we are likely to think multiculturalism is more productive than assimilation into a unique American culture, the more likely we are to think political correctness is more altruistic and noble than traditional American values.

The point I was trying to make--okay I was overly wordy--was that stupidity is not necessarily an intelligence or I.Q. problem, but in our case is more of a value problem.

 

[Qantrill]

Just look at the posters here who, despite having had years of access to the truth (er, a dictionary), still insist that Obama is "a Kenyan Muslin socailist facist".

I think nutrition of pregnant women and children have a LOT to do with it. (And it is Red Staters that birth those babies when they are still teens). Ban junk food and expand WIC to have a national Wheels on Meals type program delivering 3 nutritious meals to pregnant women and children 16 and under daily. The future national IQ (and teeth) depend on sugar free meals.

Regards from Rosie

This entire post is the absolute proof of the subject matter of the thread, but the first clue is bolded and sized. Incredible.

More regards from Qantrill.

 

[Steelplate]

I don't think we are getting dumber....just more gullible and lazy.

We tend to embrace ideas that we already believe in and ignore ideas that don't jibe with that. That leads to linear thinking and absolutism.....and it's just not the political conflicts of left vs. right. It's religion vs. science, it's one religion vs. another, it's more and more prevalent in all aspects of our society.

It's easy to be married to an ideology and think that the "other side" is evil. It takes much more effort to consider the "other side's" point of view and sometimes even come to the conclusion that everything isn't black and white and perhaps actually change your mind on individual issues, going against the grain of "your side" in certain things.

 

[RDD_1210]

We? No. I'm not getting stupider. you might, but I am not.

That's only because it's actually not possible for someone to be dumber than you are. Stephanie would be the only dumber person than you. So I guess technically you still could.

 

[RDD_1210]

Stop paying for peoples kids who can't afford them.

How will that increase intelligence levels?

If you have to ask...then you are one of THOSE people.

Ouch? I'm too dumb to know if I should be offended. Please explain to me.

 

[RDD_1210]

Stop paying for peoples kids who can't afford them.

How will that increase intelligence levels?

Stupid people who work at Subway won't have 4 or 5 kids.

So if we "stop paying for them" they'll stop having kids? They're too stupid for that to happen, remember.

 

[techieny]

Ravi's skull under x-ray

 

[OKTexas]

I think you prove your own point by using the non-word "stupider" People living in glass houses should not throw stones.

 

[RDD_1210]

Proof that people are becoming more stupid: the popularity of MTV.

Or the fact that Fox News is the top rated "news" network.

 

[High_Gravity]

How will that increase intelligence levels?

Stupid people who work at Subway won't have 4 or 5 kids.

So if we "stop paying for them" they'll stop having kids? They're too stupid for that to happen, remember.

A big reason they have so many kids is because their government benefits increase, without any cash coming in why would they even want any kids?

 

[Liberal]

Stupid people who work at Subway won't have 4 or 5 kids.

So if we "stop paying for them" they'll stop having kids? They're too stupid for that to happen, remember.

A big reason they have so many kids is because their government benefits increase, without any cash coming in why would they even want any kids?

So.. Is there a poll or something that I missed, in which, these people were asked if they were more likely to have a litter children because of benefits?

Or is that just a "guess"?

 

[Foxfyre]

Or the fact that so many posting on this thread have such poor reading comprehension, they don't have a clue about what this thread is about?

 

[RosieS]

Just look at the posters here who, despite having had years of access to the truth (er, a dictionary), still insist that Obama is "a Kenyan Muslin socailist facist".

I think nutrition of pregnant women and children have a LOT to do with it. (And it is Red Staters that birth those babies when they are still teens). Ban junk food and expand WIC to have a national Wheels on Meals type program delivering 3 nutritious meals to pregnant women and children 16 and under daily. The future national IQ (and teeth) depend on sugar free meals.

Regards from Rosie

This entire post is the absolute proof of the subject matter of the thread, but the first clue is bolded and sized. Incredible.

More regards from Qantrill.

Sarcasm escapes you every time, huh. Raised on Snickers and Slurpees, were ya? Yeah...I think so.

Regards from Rosie

 

[RDD_1210]

Or the fact that so many posting on this thread have such poor reading comprehension, they don't have a clue about what this thread is about?

Says the person who didn't actually answer the question being asked as pointed out by the OP.

 

[nitroz]

I vote that we ARE becoming less intelligent.

Why? Hypocrisy, prejudice assumptions, false accusations, circlejerking, etc.

 

[paravani]

Just look at the posters here who, despite having had years of access to the truth, still insist that Obama is "a Kenyan Muslin socailist facist".

I think nutrition of pregnant women and children have a LOT to do with it. (And it is Red Staters that birth those babies when they are still teens). Ban junk food and expand WIC to have a national Wheels on Meals type program delivering 3 nutritious meals to pregnant women and children 16 and under daily. The future national IQ (and teeth) depend on sugar free meals.

Regards from Rosie

Proper nutrition for children from conception on definitely increases brain growth, as does appropriate stimulation like talking to children, playing games with them, and teaching them math, reading, spatial, and motor skills from an early age.

I do think that making sure everyone has access to the best nutrition possible is an excellent idea; but I also believe based on first-hand experience that we as a society have made real progress in this direction already. WIC works; so do food stamps, though they don't stretch far enough in these days of rising food prices.

But again, there is a genetic limit to how much a person can learn; and if children are born to mothers who isn't very bright, no matter how much good food they get throughout their childhoods, it won't change the basic raw material of their brains. Not to mention, their mothers probably won't teach their children as much in other ways, either.

The bottom line is, stupid mothers still tend to have stupid children, no matter how well nourished they may be.

I'm afraid the only solution to the problem is "natural selection". By that I mean, we must somehow encourage men and women who are not very intelligent to take themselves out of the gene pool. We don't need to convince ALL of them... just a preponderance of them.

So, before we discuss some ways to do that, let me ask:

Do you think that if every child was a choice and no child was unwanted, would stupid people choose to have as many children as they do now? Would stupid men choose to have babies for whom they now have to pay child support? Would stupid women choose to have as many children as they do now?

-- Paravani

 

[Foxfyre]

As long as stupid women are financially rewarded for having more and more children, they'll have them. The only thing that will discourage that is by requiring those women to be responsible for the children they bear or lose the children. And I simply don't buy the genetics argument. I'be seen too many people who dig themselves out of abject poverty and not only hold their own with brighter, more prosperous people, but achieve great things.

 

[CrazedScotsman]

We need a huge, giant, enormous Convetional World War that kills of 20% of the worlds population. After the war is over, we need to have a Pandemic that will kill off another 20% of the population. When the Pandemic is brought under control, we need to get a One World Government in place and pass laws that force sterilizations and abortions plus the destruction of "Undesirables" just in case they decide to reproduce.

Once we get that all in place, then we can start the process of selective education. Every person, at the age of 6 years old will be tested. The top 10% will be placed into special schools that will teach these children and give them the best education. The next 50% will be given a good education, but geared towards more technical type of stuff. The next 15% will be educated, but not to long since these will be our soldiers. The next 10% will be unskilled laborers and farmers. The bottom 15% will be used for different kinds of test like what a certain type of chemical does to the eyes or what causes cancer.

We definitely need to get rid of all religion. And let's not forget the guns as well.

Oh, I forgot, when a person becomes useless and can't work any longer, they are sent to a special place where they can die gracefully and be turned into Soylent Green to feed the masses.

 

[High_Gravity]

So if we "stop paying for them" they'll stop having kids? They're too stupid for that to happen, remember.

A big reason they have so many kids is because their government benefits increase, without any cash coming in why would they even want any kids?

So.. Is there a poll or something that I missed, in which, these people were asked if they were more likely to have a litter children because of benefits?

Or is that just a "guess"?

Its a guess.